East Harlem Assemblyman Is Charged With DWI
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
A state assemblyman, Adam Clayton Powell IV, was charged with drunken driving after police said he was unsteady behind the steering wheel and then failed a breath test early yesterday.
Mr. Powell, who represents East Harlem in the state Assembly, was stopped around 2:30 a.m. while traveling north on a Manhattan parkway, police said.
A complaint filed in criminal court said Mr. Powell “had watery eyes, had slurred speech, had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and was operating the vehicle in an unsteady and abrupt manor.” Authorities said Mr. Powell told police he had a few drinks but was not drunk.
Mr. Powell, the son of an iconic New York congressman and civil rights activist, was arraigned yesterday afternoon on charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle while impaired on the Henry Hudson Parkway near 82nd Street. No plea was entered at his arraignment, and he was released without bail.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said that a woman was asleep in the backseat of Mr. Powell’s car when he was pulled over. But authorities said the woman had no bearing on the case.
A judge, Frederick Arriaga, ordered Mr. Powell, 45, to undergo alcohol screening and suspended his driving privileges pending the outcome of the case.
Prosecutors said Mr. Powell asked police why they were stopping him and giving him the breath test. “I don’t want to blow into it,” prosecutors said he told police. “Is this really necessary?”
Prosecutor Greg LeDonne said Mr. Powell took the test and then asked police, “What did I blow?” “I had a few drinks, but I’m not drunk,” Mr. Powell said, according to Mr. LeDonne. “I’m not drunk because I ate something.”
Mr. Powell’s attorney, Stacey Richman, in arguing for his release, told the judge her client had roots in the community and had dedicated his life to public service. “A boulevard is named after his family,” she said, referring to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, a thoroughfare in Harlem. Mr. Powell, while leaving court with this lawyer, told reporters he was “looking forward to my day in court.”
